MANAUS, Brazil — After arrival in this remote metropolis surrounded by jungle, you quickly sense only the thinnest of margins separates the real Manaus from the idyllic, festive World Cup bubble FIFA and the Brazilian government have improbably concocted, accessible only by boat or airplane.

Arena da Amazonia is the nearly $300 million dollar stadium that three workers died building; it will go mostly unused after hosting four tournament matches. The side streets immediately adjacent to it are jubilantly decorated. What would be drab and dirty pavement and sidewalks are painted in the Brazilian flag's vibrant blue, green and yellow as plastic streamers flutter overhead. Banners welcome visitors in three languages.

But turn your back to the arena and walk just one block down those narrow streets. You see something different: Cement slicked with tropical grime, graffiti and mangy stray dogs. Not a "hell-hole," as one British newspaper reported, but a city full of tough edges and poor people.

The arena's media center is air-conditioned and clean and has yellow bean-bag chairs; it's a respite from the stifling heat. Thousand-dollar cameras snapped away as England manager Roy Hodgson and captain Steven Gerrard took the podium for a Friday afternoon press conference behind World Cup sponsor Adidas' official tournament ball.

But that very same day, workers in hard hats and dusty replica soccer jerseys toiled away in the mid-afternoon sun on the perimeter of the expensive complex that was still not quite done, 24 hours before its big debut.

Manaus rang in the 2014 World Cup in joyous style on Thursday afternoon, gathering on the banks of the Rio Negro to watch on giant screens as host Brazil opened up the tournament with a bizarre win over Croatia.

But on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. ET, the monolithic Arena da Amazonia roars to life for the first time, hosting Group D rivals England and Italy. Then, and only then, the World Cup comes to Manaus in earnest.

It's arguably the World Cup group stage's most epic matchup, pitting two proud World Cup-winning European sides (only eight teams, both the Three Lions and the Azzurri among them, have ever held the trophy) against each other in a an unforgiving equatorial environment. From the ground in Manaus, here's what you need to know.

The stakes? As high as they get

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon clenches his sists after England's Wayne Rooney, on the ground, missed a chance during the Euro 2012 soccer championship quarterfinal match between England and Italy in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, June 24, 2012.

Image: Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

The USA's Group G may be tougher top to bottom, and Spain, Chile and the Netherlands make Group B plenty formidable — but you'd be hard-pressed to find a more fearsome threesome than Group D's troika of England, Italy and Uruguay.

The upshot? Losing in Manaus on Saturday would be devastating to both England and Italy's hopes of advancing to the knockout stage. A tie would be more acceptable for underdog England, but make no mistake — both squads could really use a win here with Uruguay looming.

Both England and Italy have dangerous goal-scorers — Mario Balotelli for Italy, Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge for England — who play in front of somewhat weakened midfields. England's Steven Gerrard and Italy's Andrea Pirlo are both talented veterans, but their legs are not so young any more. Pirlo, in particular, is still quite dangerous thanks to his wily passing and overall savvy — but defense is another story.

An England win wouldn't be a total shock, but it would be a mild surprise. Manager Roy Hodgson believes his squad is ready to present itself well, however.

"We think we are physically fit, we think we are mentally fit and we think that we are tactically prepared," Hodgson said at Friday's press conference. "That's the most you can ever hope for."

Now ain't that a pitch

It's hot as hell here. Stand outside in the sun and humidity for 10 minutes and you're instantly layered in a greasy coat of head-to-toe moisture. Of course, this is the Amazon jungle — to expect anything else would be daft.

The bigger story on conditions this week: the pitch at Arena da Amazonias. On Wednesday it looked brown, furrowed and not fit for the World Cup.

That same day, the head groundsman for the Spanish company in charge of the pitches at Arena da Amazonia and six other World Cup stadiums told The Guardian "I don’t think it’ll be in good condition" by Saturday's match.

"There are no roads, all the machinery and materials had to be brought by ship, there’s no fertilizer, no seeds," he said. "Everything has been complicated.”

But wait! By Friday evening's open training sessions, the once-dusty field looked remarkably better from afar, with no brown to speak of. It almost looked too good; British media have speculated that it was, in fact, painted green for appearance's sake.

Both Italian and English players and coaches insisted at Friday's press conferences that the pitch wasn't bad at all — though you have to wonder what they'd say in private. At least any lingering bumps and lumps will likely be a wash as far as advantage is concerned.

One more thing worth noting about the heat: Saturday's 6 p.m. kickoff arrives after the sun is off the pitch (some fans in the upper tiers, however, won't be so lucky). England's training session at 5:15 p.m. Friday came on a field that was not dappled with one spot of sun.

Italy trained a couple hours later under a full Amazonian moon, which made for a stunning scene — done only a modicum justice in the photo atop this post.

Two fearless predictions

In this June 28, 2012 file photo, Italy's Mario Balotelli celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the Euro 2012 soccer championship semifinal match between Germany and Italy in Warsaw, Poland.

Image: Vadim Ghirda/Associated Press

Both teams will play their butts off, because this is the World Cup — but even more so because of the stakes surrounding England and Italy in lethal Group D. Playing their butts off in grueling conditions makes for a rugged affair lacking much real artistry.

I predict that Rooney continues his career-long scoreless World Cup streak, while Balotelli finds a crack in England's tired defense late to deliver the Azzurri a 1-0 win and three crucial points in the group table.

But here's a bigger prediction: No matter the result, Arena da Amazonias is breathtakinglylovely inside. With millions of eyes turned to Saturday's most important match, it will shine for at least one evening. It will shine spectacularly enough for the world to forget — ever so briefly — the context, controversy and reality that surrounds the World Cup's sanitized, made-for-TV bubble.

Australia, "The Socceroos"

Belgium, "The Red Devils"

The Belgians are known affectionately in all three of the country's spoken languages -- Dutch, French and German -- as "The Red Devils." The name was coined when a journalist called the Belgian squad "The Red Devils" after three "devilish" wins in 1906, just two years after forming.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, "Zmajevi"

Brazil, "Seleção"

"The Selection" is Brazil's nickname because it's what Brazilians call every soccer team: a "seleção. But only the national team is "the "Seleção." Brazil is also known as "Canarihno" ("Little Canary") due to the team's bright yellow uniforms.

Costa Rica, "Los Ticos"

Croatia, "Vatreni"

"Vatreni" means "The Blazers" in Croatian, a nod to both the passion of the players on the pitch and the fans in the stands. Lately, Croatia is also known as "Bilic's Boys," a reference to the team's head coach, Slaven Bilic.

Ecuador, "La Tricolor"

England, "The Three Lions"

England's namesake refers to the country's rich history, going back to Richard the Lionheart, the King of England from 1189 to 1199. The three lions that appear on the national team's crest also appear on the Royal Arms of England.

Ghana, "The Black Stars"

Greece, "Ethniki"

"Ethniki" or "national" is Greece's nickname. The Greek team is also known as "Piratiko," after a Greek radio broadcaster who christened the team with the name during the opening ceremony of UEFA Euro 2004.

Honduras, "Los Catrachos"

"Los Catrachos" is the name for native Hondurans, derived from General Florencio Xatruch who fought an American insurrectionist's attempts to reintroduce slavery. Xatruch's men were called "xatruches," which then became "catruches," and so on.

Japan, "Samurai Blue"

Mexico, "El Tri"

Every national team's nickname honors its country, but Mexico's nickname "El Tri" conjures up intense national pride. A shortened "El Tricolor," Mexico's nickname refers to the three colors -- red, white and green -- of the Mexican flag.

Netherlands, "Oranje"

Named for the team's famous orange kits, the color is actually nowhere to be found on the Netherlands' flag. Instead it refers to the color of the old Dutch royal family: House of Orange-Nassau. The team's invention of a precise method of passing to maintain ball control -- Total Football -- also earned the Dutch team the nickname and Kubrickian homage "Clockwork Orange."

Nigeria, "The Super Eagles"

Nigeria's nickname is rooted in classic one-upmanship. The national team adopted the nickname "The Super Eagles" after losing to Cameroon's "The Indomitable Lions" in the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

Russia, "Sbornaya"

South Korea, "Taegeuk Warriors"

The "taegeuk" refers to the symbol on South Korea's national flag, which represents a spiritual balance, similar to China's yin and yang symbol. Also known as "The Reds" due to the team's red uniforms, fans have called themselves the "Red Devils" since 1995.

Spain, "La Furia Roja"

"The Red Fury," Spain's nickname, comes from two sources. "La Roja," like other team nicknames, comes from the color of the team's uniforms, while "La Furia" describes its "direct, aggressive, spirited style" of play in the 1920s -- a "fury" on the pitch.

Switzerland, "La Nati"

The Swiss team kept its nickname short and to the point. "La Nati," means "The National Team" in French. Due to the many languages used in Switzerland, the team is also known as "Schweizer Nati" in German and "Squadra Nazionale" in Italian, but they ultimately all mean the same thing.

Uruguay, "La Celeste"

U.S.A., "The Yanks"

Unlike other countries competing in the World Cup, the U.S. doesn't have an official nickname. In the past, the team has been called "The Yanks," but the jury's still out on it being the official name of the U.S. Men's National Team. Other nicknames include "The Stars and Stripes" or just "Team USA."

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.